Case for watch



K. O. SCHMIDT Oct. 4, 1955 CASE FOR WATCH Filed Nov. 9, 1953 INVENTOR. 4074 firm Ya/{Mp2 waif W HT 1' 051m.

United States Patent OT CASE FOR WATCH Karl Otto Schmidt,Idar-Oberstein, Germany Application November 9, 1953, Serial No. 407,215Claims priority, application Germany December 8, 1952 7 Claims. (Cl.58--88) The present invention relates to extensible cases for watches.

My prior Patent No. 2,640,668, dated June 2, 1953, discloses a slidingcase particularly designed for travel alarm clocks or clocks or watchesof larger design.

It is, therefore, one object of this invention to provide an extensiblecase for watches of small size down to the dimensions of a wrist-watch.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inexpensiveconstruction of the guide-ways for the extensible cases.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent in thefollowing detailed description, the present invention will be clearlyunderstood in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of an extensible watch case made inaccordance with this invention, showing it in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof;

Fig. 3 is another front elevational view, showing it in open position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the blank, out of which the watch-supportingframe is made; I

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the watch-supporting frame with a pairof guiding members and a bowed spring mounted thereon;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a guiding member on a larger scale;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a guide track; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a casing-half with guide track andborder, partly in section.

The watch-movement 11 provided for this case is served by a knob 12 onits narrow flank, access to the back of the watch is therefore notnecessary. The construction of the watch case bases on this fact.

The extensible case 13 comprises three principal component parts: twoidentical, slidable casing-halves 14 and 15 and a watch-supporting frame16.

A casing-half 15 comprises (Fig. 2 and Fig. 8) two identical shells 17and 18, a border 19 and a guide track 20. Shells 17 and 18 are formed bystamping operations and soldered or welded together. Border 19 issoldered or otherwise fastened to the open end of the casing-half andhas an opening 21 the purpose of which will shortly become apparent.Guide track 20 (Fig. 7) constituting two parallel plates 22 and 23 and aconnecting strip 24 is bent from a single sheet blank. Plates 22 and 23extend at right angles from strip 24 and are provided with longitudinalslots 25 and 26 the purpose of which will also shortly be apparent. Thecontour of plates 22 and 23 is adapted to the cross-section of acasing-half at the level of the plates. Guide track 20 is not fastenedto the casing-half but loosely put in and held in position by border 19.Opening 21 of said border is small enough to hold back guide track 20but large enough to allow passing through of watch-supporting frame andwatchmovement.

2,719,402 Patented Oct. 4, 1 955 The watch-supporting frame 16 (shown inFig. 5) comprises the following component parts: the frame proper 27,four guiding-members 28 and a pair of bowed springs 29. The frame properis made from a blank 30 (shown in Fig. 4). By bending blank 30 alonginterrupted line 31 a bottom wall 32 is formed at right angles to theback wall 45 of the frame proper 27. Slots 33 are provided at theopposite ends of said bottom Wall. A pair of end walls 34 is formed bybending at right angles to the back wall along interrupted lines 35.Grooves 36 are formed in said end walls for engagement with suitableridges at opposite narrow flanks of the watch-movement. At interruptedlines 37 the end portions of each end wall are bent outwardly at rightangles to the end walls. Slots 38 are formed in said end portions inregistration with the slots 33 of the bottom Wall 32. Lugs 39 are struckout of the bottom edges of the side wall, said lugs are bent over uponend walls 34 and may be soldered or welded to said end walls to hold theend walls and the bottom wall in proper relationship.

Guiding members 28 shown in Fig. 6 made of sheet metal by stampingoperations or formed of plastic material have guide lugs 40 and notches41. Said guiding members are mounted on the inside of the end portionsof the bottom wall 32 and the end walls 34. It will be noted that theguide lugs 40 project through slots 33 and 38 respectively of said endportions and extend into slots 25 and 26 of the guide tracks when thecasing-halves 14 and 15 are mounted on the watch-supporting frame. Therelationship between guide lugs 40 and slots 25 and 26 serves to guideand limit the movement of the casing halves relative to thewatch-supporting frame and relative to each other. Bowed springs 29 arebraced between opposing guiding members 28. A pair of reduced portions42 at eachend of said bowed spring project into notches 41 of theguiding members 28 to secure the bowed springs in their position. Bowedsprings 29 not only hold the guiding members 28 in their position butalso slightly bow outwardly the end portions of both the bottom and theend walls and thus guarantee a tight contact between said end portionsand the guiding tracks.

To mount the casing-halves on the watch-supporting frame said endportions are pressed together against the bowed springs so that guidelugs 40 can enter slots 25 and 26.

Arrow 43 of Fig. 5 shows the edgewise direction in which thewatch-movement is inserted into the watchsupporting frame 16 guided bygrooves 36 of the end walls 34 and ridges of the watch-movement. Lugs 44struck out from said end walls resiliently hold the watchrnovement inposition. The watch-movement provided for the case is enclosed bycrystal and outer casing which can be open in the back.

I claim:

1. An extensible case for watches of small size comprising twocasing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guidetracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guidetracks, said frame comprising a single sheet blank constituting a backwall, a bottom wall and a pair of end Walls to receive a watch movementbetween them, each extending integrally at right angles from said backWall, said bottom wall having end portions which extend beyond said endwalls, each of the end portions having a slot therethrough, said endwalls each having an end portion rectangularly bent outwards and incontour similar to the end portions of said bottom wall and also havinga slot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slots of theend portions of said bottom wall and of said end walls and projectinginto said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending between said guidingmembers to maintain the latter in their respective slots and guidetracks.

2. An extensible case for watches of small size in accordance with claim1, further characterized by having a pair of guide tracks in eachcasing-half and a border on the open end of each casing-half, each pairof said guide tracks constituting two parallel plates and a connectingstrip, said plates extending at right angles from said strip beingprovided with a longitudinal slot for the guide lugs and adapted intheir contour to the crosssection of the casing-half but looselyenclosed by the latter, said border being provided with notches to allowthe passing of the watch-supporting frame but holding said guide tracksin position in the casing-half.

3. An extensible case for watches of small size comprising twocasing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guidetracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guidetracks, said frame comprising a pair of end walls to receive a watchmovement between them, connecting means for said end walls, in order tomaintain the latter spaced apart at a distance complementary to thewidth of said watch movement, said end walls combined with saidconnecting means defining a chamber open at least on one edge in orderto permit of sliding of the watch movement edgewise between said endwalls into said chamber, said frame having upper and lower end portionswhich extend substantially parallel to said guide tracks and beyond saidend walls, each of said end portions having a slot therethrough, guidingmembers extending through said slots of the end portions and projectinginto said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending between said guidingmembers to maintain the latter in their respective slots and guidetracks.

4. An extensible case for watches of small size com prising twocasing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guidetracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guidetracks, said frame comprising a pair of end walls to receive a watchmovement between them, at least one additional wall connecting said endwalls in order to maintain the latter spaced apart at a distancecomplementary to the width of said watch movement, said end wallscombined with said additional wall defining a chamber open at least onone edge in order to permit of sliding of said watch movement edgewisebetween said end walls into said chamber, said frame having upper andlower end portions which extend substantially parallel to said guidetracks and beyond said end walls, each of said end portions having aslot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slots of theend portions and projecting into said guide tracks, and bowed springsextending between said guiding members to maintain the latter in theirrespective slots and guide tracks.

5. An extensible case for watches of small size comprising twocasing-halves each provided on their inside with two opposing guidetracks, a watch-supporting frame fitted slidably between said guidetracks, said frame comprisinga pair of end walls to receive the watchmovement between them, at least one additional wall connecting said endwalls, said additional wall having end portions which extend beyond saidend walls, each of the end portions having a slot therethrough, said endwalls each having an end portion rectangularly bent outwards and incontour similar to the end portions of said additional wall and alsohaving a slot therethrough, guiding members extending through said slotsof the end portions of said'additional wall and of said end walls andprojecting into said guide tracks, and bowed springs extending betweensaid guiding members to maintain the latter in their respective slotsand guide tracks.

6. The case for watches, as set forth in claim 1, which includes agroove in each of said end walls to receive corresponding ridges of saidwatch movement.

7. The case for watches, as set forth in claim 1, which includesresilient lugs struck out from each of the end walls to tensionally holdsaid watch movement in position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,640,668 Schmidt June 2, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 679,854 France Jan. 14,1930 181,002 Switzerland Feb. 17, 1936 260,909 Switzerland Aug. 1, 1949856,876 Germany Nov. 24, 1952

